Roc Marciano – “Marcielago” review

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This is the surprise 8th full-length album from Long Island heavyweight Roc Marciano, who started out as a member of the Flipmode Squad from the late 90s & early 2000s. He then went solo in 2008 & has dropped 7 critically acclaimed albums since, with his last 3 all coming out just last year. But after laying low throughout a good bulk of 2019, he’s finishing off his prolific decade with Marcielago.

After the “Select Few” intro, the first song “Molly Ringwald” finds Marci gets flirtatious over a lush instrumental from Animoss. The track “Choosin’ Fees” spits that drug game over a soulful beat while the song “Richard Gear” gets reflective over a lavish instrumental. The track “Ephesians” by Metal Clergy sees Marci getting mafioso whereas Ka gets conscious over a nocturnal instrumental while the song “Tom Chambers” with Knowledge the Pirate sees the 2 tells their competition not to get into their way over a jazzy beat.

The track “I.G.W.T. (In God We Trust)” talks about only having one another over a piano & a soul sample while the song “Puff Daddy” with Cook$ gets bloodthirsty over sinister instrumental. The track “Boosie Fade” with Westside Gunn sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a suspenseful beat while the song “Bomb Shelter” with Willie the Kid sees the 2 flexing over a soothing jazz sample.

The track “Saw” gets back on the mafioso tip lyrically over a haunting instrumental from The Alchemist while the song “SAYLAVI” is a clever play on the French phrase “c’est la vie“ & I like how trippy the Animoss beat is. The track “God Loves You” gets on the more motivational side & the church-like instrumental suits it fantastically, but the hook is just alright. Then before the “Legacy” outro, the final song “Joe Jackson” finds Marci bragging over a blaxploitation-esque instrumental.

Roc truly has been a leading figure in hip hop’s East Coast renaissance throughout the 2010s & this was a fantastic way for him to finish it off. There are a few spotty moments on here, but it feels like the musical equivalent to a crime film from the production to Roc’s lyricism getting sharper & sharper over time. Can’t wait to see what he’ll do going into the new decade.

Score: 4/5

Griselda – “W.W.C.D. (What Would Chinegun Do?)” review

Griselda is a hardcore hip hop trio from Buffalo, New York consisting of Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher. All 3 of whom have made names for themselves throughout the latter half of this decade with modern East Coast classics like FLYGOD, Supreme Blientele, Reject 2, G.O.A.T. (Grimiest Of All-Time), Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Now despite all those projects being put out independently under Griselda Records, the trio have seen fit to team up with Shady Records & make their collective debut album their inaugural release on a major label.

After the spoken word intro from Raekwon, the first song “Chef Dreds” finds all 3 members trading bars back & forth with each other over a chilling boom bap beat from Daringer & Beat Butcha (both of whom produced the entire album by themselves). The track “Moselle” serves as the theme song for crack dealers over a frightening instrumental while the song “Cruiser Weight Coke” references current AEW manager, WWE Hall of Famer & former SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake “The Snake” Roberts over an organ-inflicted beat.

The track “Freddie Hotspot” talks about drug dealing tip over a haunting instrumental while the song “DR. BIRDS” sees the 3 flexing over a grimy beat. “The Old Groove” then talks about life in Buffalo over a ghostly instrumental while the track “Scotties” continues to display their amazing chemistry over a demented beat. After the “Kennedy” interlude, the song “City on the Map” with 50 Cent pays tribute to NY over a cold blooded instrumental & in a way it’s like 50 passing the torch down to Griselda.

“May Store” makes reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin over an ominous instrumental & then after the “Lowery” outro, there’s the bonus track where Westside Gunn & Benny add verses to the decent “Bang” single that Conway dropped with Eminem over the summer.

For a major label debut, this is damn near perfect & easily one of my Top 5 releases of 2019. Other than wishing that both Conway & Marshall recorded new verses for the “Bang” remix, I really admire how Griselda didn’t change up their lyricism or production trying to appeal to a crowd that doesn’t exist & just stayed being themselves.

Score: 4.5/5

Rittz – “Put a Crown On It” review

Rittz is a 39 year old rapper from Gwinnett County, Georgia that rose to prominence with his 2011 mixtape White Jesus, which lead to Tech N9ne signing him to Strange Music. He released a total of 4 albums on the label with each one showing his fantastic growth both as an artist & as a person: The Life & Times of Jonny Valiant, Next to Nothing, Top of the Line & Last Call. Once the contract with Strange was up, Rittz formed his own label CNT Records & is making his independent debut with his 5th full-length album.

The opener “Asian Fusion” flexes over a clever Chinese sample & then the next song “Feet Up” with Paul Wall talks about being made over a trunk-knocking beat. The track “Sound Check” with Jelly Roll talks about their haters over a tear-jerking instrumental while the song “Politically Correct” is a criticism of just that over a cavernous trap beat. The track “Toxic” talks about relationship issues over an acoustic-trap beat while the song “Wake Up Call” with Twista & Yelawolf sees the 3 talking about being underrated in hip hop over a rubbery instrumental.

The track “On the Line” talks about being alone & stoned over a gloomy instrumental while the song “Paranoid & High” with Dizzy Wright speaks for itself over an acoustic instrumental. The track “Fake Smile” talks about those frontin’ on him referencing WWE Hall of Famer Gorgeous George over a bassy beat while the song “Twin Lakes” talks about recovering from addiction over some somber piano chords. The penultimate track “Name Tattoo” with Big Hud & Too $hort sees the 3 getting raunchy over a hyphy instrumental & then then album finishes off with “Live It Up”, where Rittz & Futuristic talk about enjoying life over a tense trap beat.

Even though I personally enjoyed his last 2 albums a lot more, this is still a solid album. The production could’ve been better at some points, but Rittz definitely shows that he’s earned his spot as one of the new kings of the south as his lyricism is still as sharp as it was when he was on Strange.

Score: 3.5/5

The Game – “Born 2 Rap” review

This is the 9th album from Compton rapper The Game. Initially taken under the wing of JT the Bigga Figga, his 2002 debut mixtape You Know What It Is would catch the attention of Dr. Dre & 50 Cent. Both of whom signed Game to a joint venture to their individually respective labels Aftermath Entertainment & G-Unit Records, distributed by Interscope Records. With their help, his debut album The Documentary the following year would go on to become a West Coast essential. However, a falling out between Game & 50 just months after the album’s release would result in Game moving over to Geffen Records to complete his 5-album contract. His next 4 albums Dr.’s Advocate, LAX, The RE.D. (RE-Dedication) Album & Je5us PiecE all showed that Game didn’t need Dre or 50 to make quality music. Once fulfilling his major label obligations, he went the independent route by founding his own label Numinati Records & showcasing the artists with a compilation entitled Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf in 2014. Game then put out an overloaded yet decent sequel to his debut with The Documentary 2+2.5 the next year as well as his previous album 1992 the year after. Fast forward to his 40th birthday, Game’s celebrating with his 2nd retirement album Born 2 Rap.

After the “City of Sin” intro from Ed Sheeran, we get into the first song “No Smoke”. Where Game challenges his competition over an atmospheric instrumental. The track “$500 Candles” gets braggadocious over a smooth instrumental & not only is the messaging on “The Light” is a nice callback to Je5us PiecE, but the harmonious boom bap beat on here is gorgeous. The track “Carmen Electra” with Mozzy & Osbe Chill sees the 3 talking about mobbin’ over a sample of D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie” while the song “Dead Homies” is a trite metaphor for a woman over a skeletal instrumental. The track “Gold Daytonas” with Dom Kennedy sees the 2 flexing over the same sample Junior M.A.F.IA. used for “Get Money” while the song “West Side” talks about life in Compton over a ghostly instrumental. The track “40oz Love” gets on the positivity tip lyrically over a soulful beat while the song “Gucci Flip Flops” talks about death over a slick instrumental from Swizz Beatz.

The title track talks about being the greatest over an instrumental that’s sweet to the ears while the song “Welcome Home” with the late Nipsey Hu$$le sees the 2 talking about staying woke over smooth instrumental. After the “Help Me” interlude, the fittingly titled “I Didn’t Wanna Write This Song” pays tribute to Nip as Focus… supplies a depressive instrumental. “The Code” with 21 Savage then sees the 2 talking living & dying by the rules of the streets over an instrumental that doesn’t really suit the tone while the song “Stay Down” with Bryson Tiller is of course a buttery love anthem. The track “Hug the Block” shows off over a somber beat while the song “Ask for Me” tells the story of & later forgetting her name over a grand instrumental. The track “Stainless” pays tribute to many West Coast artists over a smooth piano instrumental while the song “Gangsters Make the Girls Go Wild” is of course a tepid attempt at a radio hit.

“Blood Thicker Than Water” is self-explanatory backed by a churchy-trap beat from StreetRunner while the song “Rewind II” is a decent sequel to the Nas joint “Rewind” off his 2001 album Stillmatic. The track “1 Life” with J. Stone sees the 2 getting motivational over a bleak instrumental while the song “Cross on Jesus Back” with D Smoke is pretty much a response to Kanye West’s Sunday Service performances that he’s been doing all year. The album then finishes with “Roadside”, where Game reflects on his past life over an acoustic instrumental.

If this really is the last time we’ll ever hear Game in a full-length capacity, then I’d say it’s a mixed bag & I didn’t really enjoy it as much as 1992 a few years earlier. The passion is definitely there, but some of the production is hit or miss with me personally & I feel like it really didn’t need to be 91 minutes long. Really if you took roughly half of the material here & left the rest on the cutting room floor, I would’ve liked it a more than I actually did for sure.

Score: 2.5/5

Mars – “Locked Up a Broad” review

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This is the 3rd full-length studio album from Bay Area horrorcore veteran Mars, who made his debut in 1998 with S.I.D.S. (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). He would go on to drop 2 EPs in the mid-2000s, a mixtape in 2012 & his sophomore full-length entitled Glockcoma just a couple years ago. But just a month after his 3rd EP Murder, Mars is following it up with Locked Up a Broad.

After the intro, we go into the title track. Where Mars touches down on sexual slavery over a woozy instrumental. The next song “Hemophobia” talks about murder over an airy trap beat & while I love how slow the track “Keep Ya Voice Down” is, it’s way too short. The song “Throw It All Away” gets reflective over a pretty acoustic instrumental whereas the track “Isolation” vents about being alone over a cold trap beat.

The song “In My Basement” talks about kidnapping a woman over a nocturnal trap beat while the track “Monster” speaks on what he has become over a spacey trap beat. The song “Obsession” gets stalky over a melodic instrumental while the track “Do What It Due” tries to foresee his own death over a trap rock fusion. The song “Freakin’ Me Out” with Kung Fu Vampire sees the 2 talking about murder over a trap beat with some plinky keyboards & then the album finishes off with “I Got a Mask”, where Mars gets personal over a piano instrumental that enhances the emotion.

Overall, this was a solid album from the man. In contrast to the Murder EP trying out new sounds, here we have Mars going back to his horrorcore roots with Clayton Van Pelt backing him up with some pretty dope production.

Score: 3.5/5

Beck – “ハイパースペース” review

This is the 14th studio LP from Los Angeles, California musician, singer/songwriter & producer Beck. Releasing his full-length studio debut Golden Feelings & Stereopathetic Soulmanure independently until signing to DGC Records for his most celebrated opus Mellow Gold preceding 1 Foot in the Grave. Odelay, Mutations, Midnite Vultures, the Geffen Records-backed Sea Change, his Interscope Records debut Guero, The Information & the Danger Mouse-produced Modern Guilt were all equally praised although his ongoing Capitol Records tenure has been hit or miss. Coming off Morning Phase & Colors, the Fonograf Records founder’s going to ハイパースペース amid his divorce from Marissa Ribisi.

“Hyperlife” produced by Pharrell was a mediocre ambient pop, alt-pop, chillwave, alternative R&B, space ambient & chillsynth intro singing about heartbreak & loneliness whereas “Uneventful Days” blends synthpop, electropop, alt-pop & trap to delve more into separation topically. “Saw Lightning” blends alternative dance, country rap, breakbeat & electroclash for a tiring lead single discussing his divorce again leading into “Die Waiting” takes a folkier approach using heavy bass singing about waiting for his ex-wife until the very end.

We get some heavy synthesizers throughout “Chemical” aside from Brent Paschke playing guitar so Beck can compare to that of an addictive substance just before “See Through” goes for a tropical direction instrumentally courtesy of Greg Kurstin to kick off the 2nd half, confessing to feeling ugly whenever Marissa looks past his bullshit. The title track runs it back with Skateboard P for a more fleshed out version of the intro while the self-produced “Stratosphere” melancholically remembers a friend of his who died in 2000 of a heroin overdose.

“Dark Place” winds down the last few moments of ハイパースペース with Pharrell throwing it back to the Mellow Gold days with this synthpop, psychedelic pop, neo-psychedelia & dream pop single singing about being unable to get Marissa off his mind in addition to coping with the loneliness of her leaving him while “Star” takes inspiration from both D’Angelo & the late Prince portraying a 2-faced psycho. “Everlasting Nothing” sends off the album with this average psychedelic pop, art pop, neo-psychedelia, dream pop, psychedelic folk & synthpop outro singing to his younger self.

Pharrell’s one of my top 5 producers of all-time & that includes everything he’s done with Chad Hugo as 1/2 of my favorite production duo The Neptunes, so hearing that he was going to produce more than 1/2 of ハイパースペース gave me hope of it potentially becoming the best thing Beck’s done since the Capitol deal came about earlier this decade & that unfortunately isn’t the case. Maybe the most mediocre he’s ever made mostly as a result of the synthpop, alt-pop, dream pop, neo-psychedelia, electropop, vapor, ambient pop, alt-pop, chillwave, alternative R&B, space ambient, chillsynth, synthpop, electropop, trap, alternative dance, country rap, breakbeat, electroclash, psychedelic pop, neo-psychedelia, art pop & psychedelic folk production lacks the intricacies of his earlier output than the divorce themes.

Score: 2.5/5

Action Bronson – “Lamb Over Rice” review

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This is the 3rd EP from New York rapper, writer, chef & television presenter Action Bronson. Who blew up with release of his first 2 studio albums Dr. Lecter & Well-Done in 2011. This resulted in a joint venture with VICE Music & Atlantic Records along with a couple EPs & mixtapes. The most notable being the Blue Chips duology, Saab Stories & my personal favorite: Rare Chandeliers. Then came Bronson’s major label debut Mr. Wonderful in 2015 which has some of his best songs on there, but the end result would be a more glitzy mixed bag. Bronson’s next effort Blue Chips 7000 would go back to his mixtape roots & it would be his final release on VICE/Atlantic, as he would go onto form the EMPIRE distributed Action Bronson Corporation last year & debuted the imprint with the solid yet somewhat rushed White Bronco. Other than that, Bronson has put out very little music throughout 2019. But with Thanksgiving next week, he has decided to get back with The Alchemist for Lamb Over Rice. Which is honestly the most excited I‘ve been for an ‪Action Bronson‬ project in a while given the quality of his past few projects along with the fact that Alchemist’s production seems to bring the best out of Bronson like on that Rare Chandeliers mixtape & or the Mr. Wonderful single “Terry”, which I can make the argument for being the best song Bronson has ever put out.

The opener “Dmtri” finds Bronson angrily rapping about about knockin’ it out of the box over a calming instrumental while the song “Sven” saying his competition ain’t shit over an almost futuristic sounding beat. The track “Tear Away Shorts” flexes over a boom bap beat with rich keyboards while the song “Accountrements” gets confrontational over a funky bass-line. The track “Descendant of the Stars” is a hard hitting theme song for Bronson’s show Traveling the Stars referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson while the song “Just the Way It Is” details his love life over a boom bap beat with a continuous piano note. The EP then finishes off with “Arnold & Danny”, where Bronson & Uncle Al both rap about success over an instrumental that sounds like something out of a 70’s flick.

I was expecting this to be Action Bronson’s best project in a while & that’s definitely what I got. Bronson sounds a lot more focused than he did on White Bronco & much like Rare Chandeliers, the instrumentals that Alchemist bring to the table fits Bronson’s personality like a glove.

Score: 4.5/5

Slaine – “1 Day” review

Slaine is a 42 year old MC from Boston, Massachusetts most known for being a member of the Special Teamz & later La Coka Nostra. He released an EP & a total of 4 mixtapes before coming through with his debut album A World with No Skies in the summer of 2011 under Suburban Noize Records. This was followed up with The Boston Project in 2013 as well as The King of Everything the following year but after dropping his Slaine is Dead EP in 2016, the man is making a comeback with his 4th full-length album.

“Redemption” kicks off addresses his feeling of atonement over a nocturnal instrumental while the next song “Time is Now” talks about living in the moment over a funky boom bap beat. “Still Got My Gun” featuring the Heavy Metal Kings finds the trio getting bloodthirsty over a funereal boom bap instrumental & after “Trick the Trap” vividly depicts the hard knock life over a grimy Statik Selektah beat, “It Catches You” is laced with emotional lyricism backed by a grand instrumental.

The track “Broken Toys” with Apathy & Locksmith sees the 3 talking about clout chasers over an woozy beat while the song “Night Will Fall” talks about embracing your shadows over a bleak boom bap instrumental. “The Feeling I Get” then talks about rising above it all over a sinister beat whereas “The Day Before I Die” vents about his inner demons over a settler yet grim instrumental.

“Can’t Stay the Same” talks about maturity over a boom bap beat with some plink synths while the song “1 More Day” gets motivational over an impassioned instrumental. Then there’s the closer “Do What You Love”, where Slaine advises the listener to follow their dreams over a boom bap beat with some strings.

Right here is the comeback that Slaine truly deserves, easily his most mature body of work yet in my opinion. He really details everything that’s been going on in his life throughout the past 5 years & what little features are present add a lot to the context of the album. Grown man rap at it’s finest.

Score: 3.5/5

Dream McLean – “ALIEN!” review

This is the 2nd EP & Potent Funk Records debut from Colchester, Essex, England, United Kingdom emcee Dream McLean. Emerging in the late 2000s/early 2010s off the I’m the British Dream duology & The Purple Promo trilogy of mixtapes respectively, he would later make his full-length debut the day prior to my 18th birthday during my senior year of high school with Greyscale preluded by his debut extended play Weatherman. 6 years later & the ALIEN! has returned after signing a label deal.

“Orange” blends rap rock & trap talking about being Ashton Kutcher with the flow the way we’re getting Punk’d whereas “Ameri” goes for an uncanny vibe to the beat keeping it movie despite reality itself. “D.W.” has a more lo-fi trap approach instrumentally talking about bad news coming in 3s while the lead single “E.T.” began the rollout by skillfully capturing his wordplay. “Out” leans towards a hazier sound continuing the witty penmanship & the syrupy “Tuff” concludes with him taking about sticking to your guns even if they’re jammed.

Notable for being amongst the most underrated artists within the UK hip hop scene, ALIEN! begins this new chapter of Dream McLean’s career spanning an entire decade by preluding a sophomore effort entirely produced by Potent Funk co-founder Sumgii with an EP that reaffirms the fact that Dream’s sound has gotten more laidback after all the drugs he’s been taking & him deciding to handle all the vocal performances by himself putting us inside the shoes of an outsider.

Score: 3.5/5

The Bermuda – “The Madd Giants” review

The Bermuda are a duo from Coachella Valley, California consisting of Mad Hatter & Ivy da Giant. They’ve been around for a little less than 4 years now, making their full-length debut in 2016 with Backyard Hooligans. But almost a month after dropping their mic session, they’re following it up with their debut EP.

It all kicks off with “Pow!”, where the duo trade charismatic bars back & forth over a funky boom bap beat. The next song “Lewis & Clark” finds Mad Hatter & Ivy comparing themselves to the explorers of the same name over a grimy beat while the track “Temptations” with King Serrano sees the 3 talking about keeping your head up over a slick boom bap beat with some jazzy horns during the hook. The song “Home” vents about being at a dead end over a melancholic instrumental while the track “Rugged” is laced with clever battle bars over a ghostly boom bap beat. The song “Luminous” talks about enjoying life over a beautiful guitar instrumental & then the EP finishes off with “Celebration”, where The Bermuda talk about the love they’ve gotten over a heavenly instrumental. Especially with the guitar solo at the end.

For an EP, this is the duo’s best work to date in my opinion. You really get a closer look as to who The Bermuda are & where they come from. The production on here is really tight as well. Really looking forward to see where they take things on the next project.

Score: 3.5/5